Sir
Mark Lyall Grant
GCMG
Mark Lyall Grant speaking at Chatham House in 2011
United Kingdom National Security Adviser
In office
7 September 2015 – 13 April 2017
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Theresa May
Preceded byKim Darroch
Succeeded byMark Sedwill
Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
In office
1 November 2009 – May 2015
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
David Cameron
Preceded byJohn Sawers
Succeeded byMatthew Rycroft
Director-General for Political Affairs at the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office
In office
2007–2009
Preceded byJohn Sawers
Succeeded byGeoffrey Adams
Personal details
Born (1956-05-29) 29 May 1956 (age 67)
Hammersmith, London, England
Spouse(s)Sheila, Lady Lyall Grant [1]
Children2
EducationEton College
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
Websitewww.gov.uk/government/people/mark-lyall-grant Edit this at Wikidata

Sir Mark Justin Lyall Grant, GCMG (born 29 May 1956) is a former senior British diplomat who was previously the United Kingdom's National Security Adviser and Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations.[2]

Education and early life

Born in Hammersmith to Mary (née Moore) and Maj Gen Ian Lyall Grant MC,[3] Lyall Grant was educated at Eton College and read law at the University of Cambridge as a student of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar at Middle Temple, London before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1980.[1]

Career

Lyall Grant was British Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) from 2009 to 2015.[4][5] He held the office of President of the United Nations Security Council four times: in November 2010, March 2012, June 2013, and August 2014.

Lyall Grant was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2003 New Year Honours before being promoted to Knight Commander (KCMG) in the 2006 Birthday Honours and a Knight Grand Cross in the 2018 New Year Honours.[6][7][8]

On 7 July 2015, Number 10 Downing St announced that Lyall Grant would replace Sir Kim Darroch as the United Kingdom's National Security Advisor on 7 September 2015, with Darroch moving to a different diplomatic post.[9] As of September 2015, Lyall Grant was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[10] On 27 February 2017 it was announced that Lyall Grant would retire in April and be replaced by the Home Office Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill.[11] Since 2017, he has served on the governing board at Eton College.[12]

He was appointed King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2022.[13]

Foreign and Commonwealth Office career timeline

Personal life

His wife, Sheila, is also a diplomat. In April 2012, Lady Lyall Grant, with Huberta von Voss Wittig, made a video appeal to Asma al-Assad, calling on the Syrian first lady to take a stand against violence in her country.[14] The Lyall Grants have a son and a daughter. Lyall Grant's spare time activities include golf, tennis, and bridge.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Anon (2014). "Sir Mark (Justin) , Lyall Grant". Who's Who (online Oxford University Press ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U25148. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Appearances on C-SPAN
  3. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b ukun.fco.gov.uk: "Permanent Representative – Sir Mark Lyall Grant"
  5. ^ Change of UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 7 October 2014
  6. ^ "No. 56797". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2002. p. 3.
  7. ^ "No. 58014". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2006. p. 3.
  8. ^ "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. 4.
  9. ^ "National Security Adviser appointment: Sir Mark Lyall-Grant – Press releases – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Cabinet office: new senior appointments and changes – GOV.UK". gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Our Governing Body". etoncollege.com.
  13. ^ "CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD | Honours and Awards | the Gazette".
  14. ^ Lyall Grant appeals to Syria's First Lady, bbc.co.uk. Accessed 21 February 2024.

Offices held

Government offices Preceded bySir John Sawers Director-General, Political of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2007–2009 Succeeded bySir Geoffrey Adams Preceded bySir Kim Darroch National Security Advisor 7 September 2015– April 2017 Succeeded byMark Sedwill Diplomatic posts Preceded bySir John Sawers United KingdomPermanent Representativeto the United Nations 2009–2015 Succeeded byMatthew Rycroft


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